Can Ecstasy help trauma victims?

[Happy Face 29]

MDMA, the drug commonly known as ecstasy, can help treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when used in conjunction with psychotherapy, according to a study published today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

 

The finding, if replicated, will be historic: the first time that MDMA has been shown to offer therapeutic benefits to patients when used in clinical practice.

 

MDMA was used as a therapy drug from the late 1970s despite there being little scientific evidence for its effectiveness. In what was called the second summer of love in the late 1980s, it escaped to the dance floor and was banned before any clinical human trials could be performed.

 

To better understand potential benefits of the drug, Michael Mithoefer, a psychiatrist and clinical researcher practising privately in South Carolina, and colleagues gave either MDMA or a placebo to 20 patients with PTSD, mostly female victims of sexual abuse, who had not responded to conventional drugs.

 

Subjects were given two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions three to five weeks apart, during which they were administered MDMA or a placebo. Over the course of the experiment volunteers also took part in weekly psychotherapy sessions.

 

The volunteers were tested for symptoms of PSTD before and after each treatment, as well as two months later. Out of 12 participants who received MDMA, 10 saw significant improvements in their condition - no longer having symptoms that met the medical definition of PTSD - compared with two of the eight participants who received the placebo.

 

Mithoefer says the results are very encouraging, but notes that this was a preliminary study and the results need to be reproduced, "My guess is that the positive results will be obtained in other studies, but that remains to be seen."

 

The study was funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a non-profit organisation that funds research on the use of psychedelics and marijuana as a prescription medicine.

 

MAPS president and founder Rick Doblin is an author on the paper and maintains that the declared conflicts of interests - that all the authors are on MAPS's payroll - does not weaken the paper's conclusions. "Somebody has got to pay for the study," he says. "We are doing this in a non-profit context and are hoping that other people will try and replicate it."

 

But Ken Checinski, a consultant psychiatrist at St George's, London, has his doubts, "Given the unblinding (through guessing) and the interests of the authors, a confounding placebo effect and bias towards reporting positive changes is to be expected."

 

Simon Wessely, an expert in PTSD at King's College London, also warns against taking any immediate action in an interview with the BBC, "Given that substance abuse is associated with many mental health problems, including PTSD, I would want to see a lot more data before recommending this."

 

However, for one volunteer the results couldn't be better: "I heard about it and I decided to give it a try," a former army ranger who participated in the study told Military.com "It's basically like years of therapy in two or three hours. You can't understand it until you've experienced it."

 

Other studies hoping to replicate the results are currently planned or under way in the US, Switzerland, Canada, Israel and Spain. Results are expected from the Swiss trials later this year.

 

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsha...uma-victim.html

 

I've never done Ecstacy, but I'd have thought the same would be true of most drugs. Whether you're Drinking, smoking weed or doing ecstacy you're self medicating to relax and put your troubles to the back of your mind aren't you?

Edited July 20, 2010 by Happy Face

[NJS 4446]

Isn't that just treating the symptoms and not the underlying cause though?

 

I know that's a legitimate strategy in medicine (see cold treatments) but I wonder whether its less appropriate for mental problems.

[Guest Gordon McKeag]

Anyone who's done e will tell you how good it can be. I've written before the last time I done a cowie, was when Korea beat Italy in 2002 WC, I did six that night at a party. I have to say though the first time you do it is the best, it was for me, you never quite get back up there, and you need to do more and more. Giving trauma victims cowies is all well and good, but they need to be aware, they can get so confused they'll forget their own name, they're conciously aware they're trying to remember things but can't, sometimes don't know who you are basically for days, depression, and absolute paranoia. If you could make the perfect cowie it would be great but the side effects aren't worth it especially for people who are already mentally unstable due to circumstances.

[Guest alex]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

Edited July 20, 2010 by alex

[Guest Gordon McKeag]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

See when I used to do them 97-2002, it was a real lottery, I bet not one I ever did was more than 50% MDMA. I remember one time doing a "pill" turned out to be Ketamine, I think it was anyway, worst thing ever, instead of my pupils being like saucers, they were like tiny pins. The drug of choice at my work is powder MDMA, but I doubt I'll get involved in that neither in the future, apparently its better than any pill though.

[Park Life 71]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

 

Pure Mdma has little side effects, there is ususally a fair amount of cack in the average E. Think it's a good idea. Can't be worse than giving mental patients acid.

[Park Life 71]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

See when I used to do them 97-2002, it was a real lottery, I bet not one I ever did was more than 50% MDMA. I remember one time doing a "pill" turned out to be Ketamine, I think it was anyway, worst thing ever, instead of my pupils being like saucers, they were like tiny pins. The drug of choice at my work is powder MDMA, but I doubt I'll get involved in that neither in the future, apparently its better than any pill though.

 

There's a fair amount of powdering the nose that goes on in the House of Commons.

[sammynb 3640]

Wasn't there also some success with MDMA and autism &/or asperger's syndrome?

Considering the let over amphetamines from WW2 was the wonder drug for the 1950's housewife, you have to wonder why they have such a hard time with things like e for those it could help.

[Guest Gordon McKeag]

I think Hitler gave the krauts cowies for the fight in Russia, no seriously, I'm sure I read that somewhere.

[Guest alex]

Wasn't there also some success with MDMA and autism &/or asperger's syndrome?

Considering the let over amphetamines from WW2 was the wonder drug for the 1950's housewife, you have to wonder why they have such a hard time with things like e for those it could help.

Because, as ever, decisions about stuff like that tend to be political rather than pragmatic. They're more arsed about what the Daily Mail might say than whether or not there are potential clinical benefits. Perhaps now E isn't such a headline grabber there's a greater opportunity for research to take place though.

[Guest alex]

I think Hitler gave the krauts cowies for the fight in Russia, no seriously, I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I'd be surprised. It was first synthesized before WWI but was largely forgotten about for many decades afterwards. Speed seems more likely.

[sammynb 3640]

Speed seems more likely.

 

Drug of choice for the Allied soldiers.

[Guest alex]

And Northern Soul heads.

[sammynb 3640]

And Sydney goths

[Guest alex]

And Sydney goths

And Queenslanders

[Guest Gordon McKeag]

I think Hitler gave the krauts cowies for the fight in Russia, no seriously, I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I'd be surprised. It was first synthesized before WWI but was largely forgotten about for many decades afterwards. Speed seems more likely.

Speed wouldn't dee much for morale. Ye can just see the krauts turning on each other with their guns all para "Hey Helmut you talking avout me" bang.

[sammynb 3640]

And Sydney goths

And Queenslanders

Mmm, I seem to have only met the herbal ones

[Guest alex]

I think Hitler gave the krauts cowies for the fight in Russia, no seriously, I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I'd be surprised. It was first synthesized before WWI but was largely forgotten about for many decades afterwards. Speed seems more likely.

Speed wouldn't dee much for morale. Ye can just see the krauts turning on each other with their guns all para "Hey Helmut you talking avout me" bang.

It was widely used during WWII by us. Especially RAF iirc. E just wasn't known about then really. It had been patented but it wasn't until the late 60s/ early 70s when this guy called Alexander Shulgin (sp?) started making his own batches that it became known about again. He was actually employed by the authorities in the USA (California iirc) and was permitted to make the stuff for 'research'.

[Guest alex]

And Sydney goths

And Queenslanders

Mmm, I seem to have only met the herbal ones

It's not something I encountered but I read it's really popular up there.

[Anth 113]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

See when I used to do them 97-2002, it was a real lottery, I bet not one I ever did was more than 50% MDMA. I remember one time doing a "pill" turned out to be Ketamine, I think it was anyway, worst thing ever, instead of my pupils being like saucers, they were like tiny pins. The drug of choice at my work is powder MDMA, but I doubt I'll get involved in that neither in the future, apparently its better than any pill though.

 

That stuff is lethal, completley different to the pills like!

[Park Life 71]

All the research into therapy via MDMA basically got knocked on the head when E or 'X' as it is in America took off as a clubbing drug and the authorities decided it was dangerous. There's a good chapter or so on it in the excellent book 'Altered State'. Doubt they'll be giving patients 6 at a time like

See when I used to do them 97-2002, it was a real lottery, I bet not one I ever did was more than 50% MDMA. I remember one time doing a "pill" turned out to be Ketamine, I think it was anyway, worst thing ever, instead of my pupils being like saucers, they were like tiny pins. The drug of choice at my work is powder MDMA, but I doubt I'll get involved in that neither in the future, apparently its better than any pill though.

 

That stuff is lethal, completley different to the pills like!

 

YOu only need a really really tiny dab of it. In the normal e there is about 15 -20% madma if that much, the rest is powder sugar, flour, asprin etc..

[sammynb 3640]

He was actually employed by the authorities in the USA (California iirc) and was permitted to make the stuff for 'research'.

 

No doubt similar to the LSD and Viet war soldier experiments the US conducted in the 60/70's.

[Guest alex]

He was actually employed by the authorities in the USA (California iirc) and was permitted to make the stuff for 'research'.

 

No doubt similar to the LSD and Viet war soldier experiments the US conducted in the 60/70's.

I think he conducted his own research though, so to speak. I.e. invited guests round and all that. Supposedly very civilised, controlled affairs though rather than warehouse raves, which is probably how he got away with it for so long.

[Park Life 71]

He was actually employed by the authorities in the USA (California iirc) and was permitted to make the stuff for 'research'.

 

No doubt similar to the LSD and Viet war soldier experiments the US conducted in the 60/70's.

 

"I see a great deal of danger in the air. Teenagers are not screaming over pop music anymore, they're screaming for much deeper reasons. We're only serving as a means of giving them an outlet. Pop music is just the superficial tissue. When I'm on the stage I sense that the teenagers are trying to communicate to me, like by telepathy, a message of some urgency. Not about me or my music, but about the world and the way they live. I interpret it as their demonstration against society and it's sick attitudes. Teenagers the world over are weary of being pushed around by half-witted politicians who attempt to dominate their way of thinking and set a code for their living. This is a protest against the system. And I see a lot of trouble coming in the dawn."

 

Mick Jagger

1967

[manc-mag 1]

He was actually employed by the authorities in the USA (California iirc) and was permitted to make the stuff for 'research'.

 

No doubt similar to the LSD and Viet war soldier experiments the US conducted in the 60/70's.

 

"I see a great deal of danger in the air. Teenagers are not screaming over pop music anymore, they're screaming for much deeper reasons. We're only serving as a means of giving them an outlet. Pop music is just the superficial tissue. When I'm on the stage I sense that the teenagers are trying to communicate to me, like by telepathy, a message of some urgency. Not about me or my music, but about the world and the way they live. I interpret it as their demonstration against society and it's sick attitudes. Teenagers the world over are weary of being pushed around by half-witted politicians who attempt to dominate their way of thinking and set a code for their living. This is a protest against the system. And I see a lot of trouble coming in the dawn."

 

Mick Jagger

1967

 

 

Last spotted at the World Cup sat next to Bill Clinton.